Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism

The Rays are in the playoffs. The Yankees are not.

The Phillies are in the Playoffs. The Mets are not.

The Rays are in the World Series. The Red Sox are not.

The Phillies are in the World Series. The Cubs and Dodgers are not.

Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. Not New York, Boston, Chicago or Los Angeles.

Tampa Bay and Philadelphia are two cities not know for their winning sports team. Of the four major sports, the two cities teams combine for two titles in the past 25 years. Both by Tampa. In 2002, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Superbowl and the Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2004.

While Tampa has had success in this decade, Philadelphians are championship starved. Philly hasn’t had a champion in it’s city since 1985 when Rocky Balboa defeated Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and no real life champ since 1983 when Dr. J and the 76ers won the NBA title. The Flyers haven’t won the Stanley Cup in over 30 when they defeated the Buffalo Sabers back in 1975 and the last time the Phillies won the World Series, 1980 when they beat the Kansas City Royals.

Even though Tampa has had recent memories of championships, the town is more synonymous with losing rather than with winning. For years the Bucs were looked upon as the doormats of the NFL. The Lightning were nothing more than another 90’s expansion team until their surprise to the cup run in ‘04. And now the team formally referred to as the Devil Rays has joined the lineage of underdog Tampa teams rebuking their inept past and quickly turning their fortunes around.

The Rays, a team who had never won more than 70 games in their 11 year history now finds themselves in the World Series. The Rays, a team who have more than twice the amount of victories, 97, than they do millions spent on salary, 43, in an age when the highest paid team, the New York Yankees had less than half as many wins, 89, than they did in millions spent on salary, 207.

Despite the lack of championships in Philadelphia, for years fans have still packed stadiums, filled arenas and cheered for-or booed at-their teams. Famous or notorious for their passion and fervor, Philly fans have always turned out in droves.

Tampa fans are less enthusiastic. 

A full crowd at a Rays or Lightning game is a rarity. Tropicana field, home to the Rays, in 2008, a season where they finished in first place for the first time in team history, averaged only 22,000 in attendance-less than half of the 45,000 capacity.

No matter what happens over the next two weeks, one of these cities will be celebrating a championship. It will be either a town just getting use to idea of being a winner or a city whose realization of a championship dream is long over due.

A few days ago, a man was arrested in Philadelphia (see here for more) for beating another subway passenger with a hammer. As any transit rider can tell you, there are crazy people out there, and you’re bound to bump into some of them on the subway.

The shocking part is that this happened in a rather populated car, and no one did anything to help the poor guy being hammered. I can just see it now:

Subway rider 1 – reading his paper
Subway rider 2 – spacing out
Subway rider 3 – listening to her iPod
Subway rider 4 – dozing off
Subway rider 5 – spacing out
Train – riding along, comes to a stop

Male with young child gets on. Directs his son to seat (nice, fatherly instinct, no?), pulls hammer from knapsack. Walks over to Subway rider 4 (the dozer) and starts hitting him with it (maybe to wake him up?).

Subway rider 1 – Hmm, maybe I should go help. But I’m up in the middle of this really fascinating article about fashion week . . . Nah, I’ll just finish it first.
Subway rider 2 – This is way better than spacing out – real action! And I have a front row seat! leans back, crosses hands behind heads, and watches expectantly. Bring on the popcorn, people!
Subway rider 3 – Wow, those hammer sounds really go with the beat of my music. Rock on, dude!
Subway rider 4 – Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
Subway rider 5 – Yawn.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t exactly like that. But this isn’t the first time people have acted as bad Samaritans and this isn’t the first time we’ve witnessed the bystander effect in action as humans ignore the plights of – or immediate danger to –those around them. Think Kitty Genovese in 1964. Think Richard Whelan in 2005. Think James Paroline in July of this year.

In 1989, the NY Times asked “About New York; Kitty Genovese: Would New York Still Turn Away?” I’m thinking yes. As would Pennsylvania, and Florida, and London, and probably a host of other cities.

What do you think?